The perfect infinitive and the present participle (Edexcel GCSE French): Revision Notes
The perfect infinitive and the present participle
Using the perfect infinitive or a present participle demonstrates greater complexity in your French speaking and writing. These structures help you express when actions happen in relation to each other, making your communication more sophisticated and natural.
Après avoir (the perfect infinitive)
The perfect infinitive translates as "after doing something" in English. It shows that one action was completed before another action took place, allowing you to create clear temporal relationships between events.
Formation
The basic structure is straightforward:
- Après avoir + past participle
This structure allows you to connect two actions where one happened before the other, making your French sound more sophisticated and flowing naturally.
Worked Example: Using après avoir
Après avoir joué au foot, nous sommes rentrés chez nous.
Translation: After playing football, we went home.
Breaking it down:
- Après avoir (after having)
- joué (played - past participle of jouer)
- The main action follows: nous sommes rentrés (we went home)
Special Case: Être Verbs
For verbs that take être in the perfect tense, you use après être + past participle. The past participle must agree with the subject.
Example: Après être arrivé(e)(s) (After arriving)
Note: This construction is not required for the Edexcel GCSE exams from 2024, but you may encounter it in authentic French texts.
Avant de
The structure avant de means "before doing something" and provides a simple way to express actions that happen in sequence. This construction is followed by the infinitive of the verb, making it easier to remember than the perfect infinitive.
Formation
- Avant de + infinitive
Worked Example: Using avant de
Avant de rentrer à la maison, nous avons joué au football.
Translation: Before going home, we played football.
Notice how this structure helps you express the sequence of events clearly and naturally.
The present participle
The present participle in English ends in "-ing" and is used frequently. The French equivalent ends in -ant and is less common in everyday speech, but mastering it will significantly enhance your written French.
When to use it
The present participle often appears after the word en, translating ideas like "by", "in", "on" or "while doing something". This creates fluid, sophisticated sentences.
Common Usage Pattern
The most frequent use is: en + present participle
Il travaille en écoutant de la musique. (He works while listening to music.)
Formation rules
The formation follows a consistent pattern that works for almost all verbs:
| Step | Action | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take the nous form of present tense | nous travaillons |
| 2 | Remove the -ons ending | travaill- |
| 3 | Add -ant | travaillant |
More formation examples
| Infinitive | Nous form | Present participle | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| manger | mangeons | mangeant | eating |
| finir | finissons | finissant | finishing |
| vendre | vendons | vendant | selling |
| partir | partons | partant | leaving |
The Three Exceptions
There are only three exceptions to remember - these are irregular and must be memorised:
| Infinitive | Present participle | English |
|---|---|---|
| avoir | ayant | having |
| être | étant | being |
| aller | allant | going |
These exceptions are among the most common verbs, so you'll encounter them frequently.
Alternative Usage: Infinitive as Noun
Another way to express "-ing" is to use an infinitive as a noun. This construction is more advanced but very effective:
Regarder des films d'action c'est passionnant. (Watching action films is exciting.)
Practice exercises
Translation practice
Translation Exercise
Translate these sentences into French:
- After watching TV, I played football.
- After finishing his homework, he went into town.
- After listening to some music, they went to school.
Present participle formation
Formation Exercise
Put these verbs into the correct form of the present participle:
- manger → ?
- avoir → ?
- travailler → ?
- finir → ?
- faire → ?
Answers
Translation Answers
- Après avoir regardé la télé, j'ai joué au football.
- Après avoir fini ses devoirs, il est allé en ville.
- Après avoir écouté de la musique, ils sont allés à l'école.
Present Participle Answers
- mangeant (eating)
- ayant (having)
- travaillant (working)
- finissant (finishing)
- faisant (doing/making)
Key Points to Remember
- Après avoir + past participle = "after doing something"
- Avant de + infinitive = "before doing something"
- Present participle formation: remove -ons from nous form, add -ant
- Only three exceptions: avoir → ayant, être → étant, aller → allant
- Present participles often follow en to mean "while doing something"
- These structures make your French more sophisticated and natural-sounding